Make It Home Safe
by girlsaremyfave
Summary: It's Christmas time and Piper is trying to make it home to see Alex for their first Christmas together on their own, but of course there is always something that gets somewhat in the way. One-shot. Enjoy :)


**Hey guys! So this took me a little bit to write but I wanted it to make it just the way I wanted it, so here you go. I will admit that it is longer than expected but I just couldn't stop once I started. This is a one-shot so there will be no second chapter sadly, but it ends nicely. Anyway, you guys enjoy and let me know what you think!**

"Mom I will let you know when she makes it in, okay?" The brunette beauty said into her phone as she finished putting the last ornament on the balsam fir tree. "She said she left a few hours ago and it is snowing pretty hard, I am sure she is just taking it slow."

Alex stepped back from tree to see her hard work before her eyes. Nodding to herself with satisfaction, she sits down on the bed on the other side of the room. Saying her goodbyes to her mom, she looks over at the display she had put together for Piper for when she got there.

The brunette had never been somebody who enjoyed winter time, let alone Christmas, but this was going to be the first Christmas that Piper was coming home from college to their new apartment. Alex had decided to stay back to work and save up all the money that she could for them, renting them a small apartment was the first step. The apartment wasn't much, it was a studio type set up, with a small kitchen in one corner and a small bathroom off of where the bed was set up.

Alex had gone out this week and bought a tree, dragged it up three flights of stairs, anchored it down in a bucket of sand (that she also had to haul up three flights of stairs) and now just finished decorating it. The white lights stuck out in the apartment as they were the only lights sending light across the room. All the ornaments were ones that her mom had helped her make over the last couple of weeks when neither of them were working a shift.

The brunette stood up from sitting on the bed and went over to the kitchen where she had been heating some milk on the stove. Seeing that it was heated, she placed the milk chocolate in it to make Piper's favorite drink. Hot cocoa on a cold winter night always made Piper be in an affectionate mood which in turn always ended in a good time for Alex.

Stirring the hot chocolate in the pan, she thinks back to when she found out that Piper was coming home for _their_ first Christmas.

"_Hey!" Piper's voice carried over their video chat on Alex's phone that was on the counter propped up by a stack of books. _

"_Hi, you sound in a good mood." Alex smiled to herself as she broke apart the hamburger that was browning in the pan. _

"_Al, I have good news." The blonde had excitement written all over her voice as if she was ready to burst. "Will you look at me, please?" Piper had been waiting to talk to Alex all day while the brunette was at work. _

"_Hmm?" Alex looked over at her phone on the counter to see the blonde for the first time that evening. Even over video chat she couldn't believe how beautiful Piper was, the way her blonde hair always fell in the right way, how her eyes showed all of her emotions, and how her smile could light up a room. _

"_Al, I'm not doing a winter term. I am all caught up with my credits." Her excitement grew as she said this to her lover on the other end of the phone. _

"_That's amazing, Pipes! I am really proud of you, you worked really hard." And Piper had. She was credits behind everybody else in her field of study and it took her four semesters, two summer terms and a winter term to catch up. _

"_No, Alex. You are not understanding." Alex could see her girlfriend shake her head at her through the phone, a smile across her face. "I'm coming home." The brunette dropped the wooden spoon in her hand as soon as she heard those words leave her mouth. _

"_Are you joking?" Alex wanted to feel the certainty of knowing her girlfriend really was coming home to her. _

"_Yes, Al. I'm coming home for winter break." The blonde's smile shone through the phone, lighting up Alex's world in that instant. "Is that okay?" _

"_Pipes, of course it's okay!" Alex wanted to reach through the screen of her phone and kiss her girlfriend. She hadn't had the blonde in her arms in months, let alone be able to kiss her in what felt like forever. _

"_My last final is on the twenty-third, I will head out right after." Piper smiled her bright smile through the phone again as she saw her girlfriend's face light up. _

Piper had followed through on her plans. She had packed all of her clothes and personal belongings and had them ready in the car the night before her last final. After her test she wanted to get in her car and take off home to her girlfriend waiting for her.

But what Piper hadn't been ready for was the snowstorm that had hit that morning. As she walked the hallways from her dorm room, she caught a glimpse outside one of the big windows and she saw the immense amount of snow that had collected that early morning.

After she finished up her final exam, she wrapped herself in her winter coat, beanie, and Alex's red scarf, then headed out to her car. She took her phone out to take a picture of herself with her car covered in snow behind her, sending it to Alex before cleaning her car off. When she was finally able to open the car door, she sat in the driver's seat and turned on the heater and radio.

"Travel is ill advised for anybody planning to commute today, heavy snowfall expected this afternoon and into tonight." The weatherman's voice spoke from the radio. In that second her heart dropped to her stomach at the thought of not making it to Alex tonight. Piper had planned everything perfectly for her and her girlfriend for Christmas Eve and day.

Turning her head to look at the small gift wrapped in the passenger seat, she shakes her head and shifts the car into reverse. It wasn't more than five minutes later that she got a call from the brunette that ruminated her thoughts for the last 48 hours. Pressing a button on the steering wheel, she picked up the call wanting to hear her husky voice.

"Piper Chapman, tell me you are not driving here tonight." Alex's voice carried every sort of worried tone in it as she spoke.

"Al, I'm already on the road." The blonde's voice spoke with confidence as she looked at the steering wheel to see her knuckles white from gripping it so hard. To be honest, the weatherman's report about snow and road conditions were not far off, the roads were in shitty condition.

"Pipes, you can't drive on those roads. You will get yourself killed and I like my women very much alive." Piper smiled at Alex's attempt to put some play into their conversation, but the worry and fear outweighed the fun.

"Alex, I am driving nice and slow. The roads aren't even that bad."

"Bullshit." Her voice was stern as she spoke back. "Just stop in the next town and stay there for the night and they will have the roads cleaned off as soon as possible."

"I am coming home, Al." I huffed at her, trying to convey my finality on the matter. "It will just take me a little longer."

The other end of the line went silent after she had said this. Alex wanted to argue more about her being on the roads but knew that there was no winning the argument with her girlfriend. "Okay, please be safe and go slow. Don't die, I just started to get used to this whole relationship thing."

"Oh, shut up." Alex chuckled at Piper's response to her comment. Piper said her goodbyes, wanting to put all her attention on the road again.

"Hey, kid?" Alex's voice carried a new emotion in it that Piper wasn't able to identify over the static sound of bluetooth.

"Yeah?"

"I heart you." And with that Alex hung up before Piper could get another word in.

The ride had already been a long one and she was not even halfway home and it had already taken her twice the amount of time it normally would. Ice covered the roads and snow sat on top of that layer of ice, making it deceptive. As the light fades from the sky, Piper thinks back to when she met the love of her life.

"_Polly, why do my parents insist on holding these events on important holidays?" The blonde expressed before taking a sip from her champagne flute that held a non-alcoholic beverage due to her underage. _

"_Because people feel the need to give to charity and your parents' company on holidays like Christmas."_

_Piper's parents had held a Christmas gala every year that was meant to donate money to charity, but in reality her parents benefited off of it more than any charity they had ever hosted for. The blonde of course then got dragged into the equation as their daughter and as soon as the gala was over her parents took off to wherever they go on vacation. Piper was never invited to the vacation of course because of school, her parents left her and Cal to themselves after Christmas Eve with money to buy their own gifts. _

"_Fuck this, I am going to get food." Piper set down her glass and headed out of the main hall area and back into the kitchen. As she went to push the back door open, she felt a thud and heard explosive language emerge from the other side. _

"_What the-" Piper pushed the two-way door the rest of the way in to see a girl holding her nose and her shirt covered in what she assumed to be cocktails. "I am so sorry." The blonde went to reach for the brunette but the girl pulled away from her._

"_Jesus Christ lady." The brunette in front of her said as she backed away farther from the door and to a washroom off of the giant kitchen. Piper followed her closely behind, grabbing a towel off of the shelf in the kitchen._

_Walking into the bathroom she saw the girl sitting on the toilet with her head tilted back, holding her nose to try and stop it from bleeding. "Oh my god, here let me help." Piper kneeled down next to the girl, wiping her chin and under her nose, cleaning her up a bit. "Tilt your head back just a little farther." The blonde pinched the bridge of her nose, helping to clot the blood. _

_After what felt like an awkward eternity, the blood had finally clotted and stopped spurting from her nose. Removing the towel, Piper switched from kneeling to sitting on the bathroom floor, looking up at the brunette. _

"_Merry Christmas to me, I guess." The brunette chuckled lightly with a soft smile on her lips. This was the first time that Piper actually took a look at the girl in front of her and to say she was breathtaking was an understatement. The girl had dark brown-almost black hair that was pulled back into a tight ponytail, green eyes that showed glimmered from the lights, what looked to be the softest pale skin she had ever seen, and she had to be just a little older than Piper herself. _

_It was in that moment that Piper realized she had been holding her breath and let it go. "I'm really sorry." The blonde chuckled softly at herself as she said this, like it would make everything better._

"_Don't worry about it, Kid. I'm just the wait staff." The brunette went to stand and walk to the sink in the bathroom that was on the opposite wall of Piper. "What were you doing coming into the kitchen?" The brunette's eyes met Piper's in the mirror above the sink. _

"_I couldn't take another minute of that gala." Piper rested her arm against the toilet and held her head up with her hand. "It's not exactly what a high school girl wants to do during her winter break." _

"_Hey, I only work these things and I barely make it. I can't imagine what it would be like to have to _willingly _attend one of 'em." The brunette finished washing her hands of the blood that came from her nose before turning and looking at Piper. "Guest or host?" _

"_Daughter of host." Piper watched as the brunette came and sat down next to her on the bathroom floor. _

_Once the girl had situated herself next to Piper she stuck her hand out to her. "Alex Vause." Piper took her hand softly and shook it, smiling at the mysterious girl in front of her. _

"_Piper Chapman." _

Alex had cleaned every inch of their tiny apartment while she waited to hear something, anything from Piper. The last she heard she was halfway here and that was over three hours ago and in three hours the brunette was able to think of all the ways Piper has died and she didn't wasn't informed.

If Alex hadn't been wearing socks, she would have worn tread marks into the hardwood floors. The brunette had been going crazy, waiting for her girlfriend to get there. Alex had decorated the apartment while she had been waiting earlier and it looked like it threw up romance and Christmas in one fell swoop. Christmas lights lined the tops of the walls all around the room, there were candles on any flat table surface, mistletoe over the door, and of course the tree that stood in the corner next to their bed that had three presents under it.

Those presents took so long to save up for, they were nothing really but when she had to pay bills and send things to Piper, it took a while to save up for those simple things. Two were from her and one was from her mom to Piper. Diane had taken to Piper like her own, caring for her and loving her as if she had actually raised her.

Alex sat down on the bed with her legs crossed, her hand pulling back the curtain to see if there was any movement out in the parking lot. The only thing that was moving out there were the heavy-set snowflakes falling down everywhere. She picked up her cell phone from the side table, looking at it once again to see if she had missed anything from Piper. Her fingers hovered over Piper's name,considering calling her but didn't want to distract her driving in this weather especially now that it was pitch black out.

Alex set her phone down on her side table, opened the drawer and reached for her book. When she picked up the book, the tiny box she had hidden fell into view. The black velvet box stared at her as if it was teasing her nerves about Piper not yet being there with her. Picking up the box, running her fingers over the smooth material she thinks about the day she got it.

"_Nick, I need your opinion." Alex spoke to her wild-haired best friend as they sat in a bar having drinks after work one night. _

"_Stretch, I am the last person you should be asking opinions from." Nicky said this as she took another swallow of her beer. _

_Alex grabbed the black velvet box out of her pocket and set it on the table in front of her friend. Nicky almost spat out her drink as she picked up the box, opening it while her eyes grew wide. "I mean I love you Vause, but not like this." She looked closer at the item in the box before turning to her friend. "But for this rock I would love you in that way." She wiggled her eyebrows as Alex snatched the box back from her. _

"_Nichols, I'm serious." Alex looked inside the box herself once more before closing it again. "What if it isn't what she wants?" Alex let nerves flood her voice for the first time. _

"_Being with you or wanting that gift?" _

"_Both." Alex sighed before continuing on. "What if she doesn't want to be with me forever or what if it's too small or not what she wants." _

_Nicky shook her head at Alex before turning to her best friend, taking all the joking out of her voice. "Listen, Vause. She wouldn't be trying to make this long distance thing work if she didn't want it for the long haul, right?" Alex nodded her head before trying to interject but got shut down again. "Plus when has your financial status ever driven her away? You were poor when you met, poor when you were together and are still pretty shit poor." Nicky laughed at her friend before taking another drink from her beer. "Now will you let me buy my best friend a congratulatory beer, huh?" Alex shook her head before waving over the waiter once again for another round. _

When Piper pulled into the parking lot, she felt relief flooding her every nerve as she put the car into park. Turning off her car, she stepped out and began to stretch all of her muscles that were stiff from being in one position for so long. Grabbing her stuff from the back seat and the present in the passenger seat, she heads to the front door of the apartment complex.

Alex had sent her a key in a care package a long time ago when she first got the apartment for them, surprising her with the good news. Turning the key in the front door to get into the building, she let the heat hit her face making her shiver from the cold she had just escaped. Piper began dragging her bags up the stairs until she reached the third floor and looked for the door that belonged to the love of her life.

The blonde looked up and down the hall and when her eyes fell on apartment 3A, she felt her heart jump into her throat. It took everything in her to not run down the hall and just slam that door open to see her lover once again. Instead, she walked calmly to the door and put her key in the door, turning it quietly as if to not wake Alex on the other side.

Before she could get the key out of the door, it flew open and the tall brunette was standing there looking down at her. Both of their breaths caught in their throats as they just stared at one another for what felt like hours. Piper was the first one to break the silence that filled the space between them, "Hey." She let a small smile crossed her face as she looked up at Alex.

"Hi." It came out as just a whisper as she stepped aside to let Piper into the apartment. The blonde had just pulled her last bag in from the hall when she felt Alex's lips on her own.

A moan fell from Alex's lips, expressing without words how happy she was to have Piper in her arms again. The brunette's lips pressed soft yet hard against Piper's as she brought her hands up to her face, caressing her cheeks. Alex felt Piper's hands wrap around her neck as she sunk deeper into her embrace dropping her bags on the floor. Their lips danced with one another as the feeling of tenderness left and turned quickly into passion.

Alex's hands went from the blonde's face to her hair as she pulled her even deeper into the kiss as their tongues battled for dominance. Piper letting Alex win, dropped her hands to her girlfriend's sides bunching up the shirt there, lifting it slightly. When Piper's hand graced the exposed skin at the brunette's hip, she felt a spark hit her and a shiver ran down her spine at the feeling of her lover under her touch once again. She moved her hands from Alex's side to under her shirt, feeling the soft skin of her abdomen under her fingertips.

The brunette broke their kiss apart, moving down Piper's neck as she placed open mouthed kisses along her jaw and neck. Piper tilted her head back, living in the feeling the moment is bringing her as she lets go of everything she had held onto over the last few months without Alex. The blondes eyes closed as she took in the feeling of Alex's lips on her neck and her hands in her hair. It wasn't long before Piper felt Alex pulling at her coat, shrugging it off of her shoulders Piper let her hands fall from Alex's stomach.

Alex smiled against Piper's neck, feeling the blonde shiver slightly under her touch. "I missed you." The brunette whispered against the side of her neck, her voice dripping with lust. She dragged her hands from Piper's back to her hips, pulling her closer to her body as she pushed her up against the front door, the blonde's bags falling over as they did so. Piper let a moan fall from her lips as she felt so impossibly close to Alex's body for the first time in months.

The brunette let her hands travel up Piper's sides, letting her shirt bunch up as her fingertips brushed against her ribs. Piper let her hands tangle in Alex's hair, pulling her away from her neck so she could look into her eyes, blown wide with lust. Alex let her hands travel back down her sides, and around to the back of Piper's thighs, signaling for the blonde to wrap her legs around her. Piper did as she was asked, no hesitation in her movements as she connected their lips once again. Alex struggled navigating around Piper's bags on the floor but eventually made it across to where the bed was in the apartment.

Piper's back hit the soft feeling of the mattress behind her, her legs still tightly wrapped around Alex's hips. The blonde untangled her hands from Alex's hair, reaching over her shoulder to the middle of her back, grabbing her shirt and trying to pull it over her lover's head. The two women broke the kiss so the shirt could be discarded on the floor and Piper got to look at her girlfriend for the first time since she opened the door.

The soft Christmas lights that hung up in the apartment made Alex's skin look like porcelain and made her eyes shine bright even though they were the darkest Piper had ever seen them. Alex pulled Piper's legs away from her body, standing up and signalling the blonde to sit up on the bed. Complying with her wishes, Piper sat up on the bed looking at her girlfriend for what happened next. Alex signaled for Piper to take her sweater off along with her pants, and in that moment both women rushed to get rid of as many clothes as possible that were keeping them apart.

When Piper was completely naked, she scooted back on their bed and laid her head against the pillows that smelled so rich of Alex. Alex looked down at her beautiful girlfriend laying there, resonating confidence from every pore. "Al, come join me in _our _bed." Piper let a smile appear on her face as she said this, reveling in the feeling of what they called their home.

Alex couldn't pull the last leg of her skinny jeans off fast enough, stumbling onto the blonde as she finally got free. A beautiful laugh filled the air as Piper caressed Alex's cheek, making her look into the blonde's eyes. Alex couldn't express in words the warm feeling she felt all over knowing that the love of her life was home and in her arms again, so instead she captured her lips once again. The kiss was soft at first as the two women let their hands wander everywhere they could reach, rememorizing every curve and imperfection.

After what felt like hours, Alex moved her kisses south, kissing Piper's neck and collarbone and she let her hands travel up to her breasts. Piper weaved her fingers into the brunette hair, tilting her head to the side so her eyes remained in contact with her lover's. Alex pulled one of Piper's nipples into her mouth, sucking and biting on it lightly to make the blonde beneath her squirm. In response to the new activity happening on her chest, Piper wrapped her legs around Alex's waist once again pushing hard against her, trying to show Alex how much she had missed her, how much she needed her.

Alex could feel the dampness against her lower abdomen, making her smile against Piper's soft skin. The brunette shifted her weight to her left side, holding herself up on her elbow above Piper's body. She let her hand wander down the blonde's side and to her hip, tracing lazy circles from her hip to her thigh, driving the girl underneath her even crazier. "Al…" The name came out quiet, like a secret whisper only meant for the two of them. Alex let her eyes meet Piper's blue ones and while keeping the contact, she let her hand slowly move to where Piper needed her most.

Piper let out a moaning sigh at the feel of Alex between her legs, her eyes closing and her hands holding onto Alex's shoulders. The brunette knew it wouldn't take much for either of them to fall over that edge, being apart for so long does that to people. She also knew it could be uncomfortable at first again, the stretching feeling that had been absent from when they used to spend all their nights together. She let her fingers trail up and down the blonde's folds, feeling how badly she needed her girlfriend. "Alex." This time the voice came out stern, showing the finality of her patience and what she needed.

Alex buried her face into the blonde's neck, her mouth by her ear so she could feel the blonde's breath against her neck. She let her fingers travel to the blonde's entrance, pushing in slowly, both women moaning at the feeling; Piper from the need and Alex from being close once again to the woman she cared for most. It didn't take them long to get into their rhythm again, knowing how Piper ticked and what made her tip toe on the edge of bliss. When Pipe felt herself on the very edge, she pushed all of her weight onto Alex, forcing her to be on the bottom. "Piper-" But her confusion was interrupted when she felt Piper's lips on her neck.

Piper kissed her way up slowly to Alex's ear, whispering in her lust drunk voice "Together." And with that everything fell into place. Piper knew Alex wanted her just as bad, and when she let her hand travel low on the brunette's body, her suspicion was confirmed. It had been months since they had even been in each other's presence and Piper knew they needed this bonding moment, going over the edge together.

It didn't take long to get Alex to tip toe that edge with her, their eyes meeting one another as both of their bodies tensed right before. Piper of course was the first one to fall, but hearing her name from the blonde's lips made Alex fall too. As they fell together, their bodies clung harder to one another as if it was the only thing holding either of them down.

As the minutes ticked by, Alex was the first one to recover as she shifted so they laid next to each other. Her eyes meeting Piper's in the Christmas lights lit up room, both of their faces had smiles on them. The lights at the top of the wall behind Alex caught Piper's eye, making her look around the room for the first time since she entered. "Al, what is all of this?" Piper leaned against Alex's body, laying herself against her chest with her hand holding up her head.

"It's our first Christmas in _our_ home." Alex's voice carried tiredness in it, as if all the worry she had held all night long finally got washed away.

"You are the biggest softie I have ever met in my life." Piper said this as she laid her head across Alex's chest looking into her eyes. "But I love you anyway."

"Oh thank god, I was worried this was a 'wham bam, thank you ma'am' situation." Alex let her chuckle out softly as she looked over at the drawer that held Piper's biggest gift, burning a hole in her nerves.

When she turned her gaze back to the blonde laying on her chest, she sees Piper's eyes closed and her breaths even, signaling she was asleep. Alex shook her head, not able to believe that: one Piper fell asleep so soon, but two that she finally had Piper home, right where she belonged. And with that, she closed her eyes too, succumbing to the tiredness that filled every muscle in her body.

Loud banging woke the brunette up from her sleep as she turned over and felt cold sheets beside her. Alex was used to always being the first one up and making breakfast for her girlfriend, so to see Piper up and awake already threw her for a loop.

"Well, look who finally decided to wake up." The blonde shoots over her shoulder as she continued making pancakes on the stove. Alex reached for her glasses off of the side table and realized they weren't where she set them.

"Pipes, my glasses?" She squints in the direction of her girlfriend as she said this, trying to make out the form of her from across the room.

"In that drawer, I didn't want you to tip them over and break them." After realizing what drawer she was talking about, Alex's veins froze. She pulled the drawer open slightly, just big enough to grab her glasses, sliding them on she sees that her book was still in the place she set it last night. _Thank God._

The brunette's gaze traveled over to the blonde making breakfast, in Alex's long sleeve from last night and what seemed to be nothing else. "I think it's kind of unsanitary to cook naked." Pulling the covers off of her and searching for a shirt in the dresser next to the bed.

"You don't have to eat them." Alex threw on a t-shirt and walked up behind her girlfriend standing in front of the stove. Pulling all over Piper's hair to the side, she placed soft kisses on the blonde's neck whispering a good morning. "Don't think you can warm up to me now." Piper let a smile cross her face as she said this.

The two women blended back into what felt normal to them, Alex setting the small table and Piper finishing up the little food she was able to find in the cupboard and fridge. They sat at that small table eating breakfast at two in the afternoon, not letting anything invade their time together.

"What do you want to do today?" Alex asked as she finished up the last of the bacon on her plate.

"Honest?"

"Honest." Alex smiled at the love of her life across the table from her, letting the lights shine off her eyes.

"I just want to lay around and watch movies." Piper let a small laugh slip by, shaking her head. "It's dumb but after everything I just want to lay with you."

And that is exactly what they did. They watched any movies that Piper wanted on her laptop, only leaving the bed to get something to drink or go to the bathroom. Every now and then they would get distracted and the laptop slowly fell to the side or on the floor and that is what always interrupted them.

It was pitch black outside and snowing lightly as Alex began making them dinner. She had a whole menu planned for Piper, wanting to treat Piper the way she felt she deserved. The small apartment grew warm as she continued stirring and chopping, every once and a while checking to see what Piper was up to, but she was never too far away from her. Piper unpacked her bags as she watched Alex cook dinner for them, pushing all ofAlex's space in the apartment to the max. "We're going to need a bigger dresser." This got the brunette to chuckle at her, shaking her head in disbelief in her girlfriend.

"You can buy that, then. All my stuff fits." Alex shoots Piper a smile from across the room as she finishes the last touches on dinner before sliding it into the oven. "Twenty minutes, Pipes."

"Okay." Piper slides the last of her stuff into the small closet off to the side of the bed, cramming her bags in the bottom. Smiling, she grabs Alex's present off the bed and set it underneath the tree next to the gifts that she assumed were hers. The present looked smaller than the other three, making her feel bad as her gaze shifted between them. "Al, I thought we agreed not a lot of presents."

"It's three. And one isn't even from me." Alex walked over and stood next to Piper, looking down at the gifts. Alex knew it drove Piper crazy that she went above and beyond to give Piper everything, even though she wouldn't admit that she liked it. "Will you set the table?" Alex wrapped her arms around Piper's waist kissing the side of her head, trying to get her out of her head on the whole situation.

"Yeah…" Piper took one last long glance at the presents under the tree, trying to make sense of something that didn't need making sense of.

The two women moved around each other in the small space as they got dinner on the table and drinks ready. Alex being older, had gotten them wine for the night even though Piper was still technically underage. She poured the wine in the glasses as Piper served the chicken and vegetables to each of their plates.

Sitting down on their own sides, they both looked at each other, almost a nervous tension between them as they stared. Alex fidgeted with her glasses that sat perfect on her face before digging into the meal in front of them. Piper looked at her lover from across the table, curious as to why Alex was acting different than usual. The tree, the decorations, the meal the gifts, everything seemed to not be Alex, but also Alex at the same time. "Al, what's going on?"

Alex let the the food fall from her fork at Piper's words. "What do you mean?" Alex fidgeted with her glasses once again before just deciding to place them on the top of her head.

"Al, all of this, it's too much."

"It's nothing, Pipes." She takes another bite of food, trying to end the conversation at that, but it never works that way with Piper.

"No, I mean this isn't you, not exactly." She reached her hand across the table, holding Alex's hand in her own. "Did something happen?" Her voice held concern in it, washing Alex with a small feeling of guilt for not telling Piper.

"Nothing happened, Pipes." She took a sip of the wine from her glass. "I just wanted to surprise you, that's all." That seemed to work for now, Piper letting go of her hand and eating for the first time that dinner.

The whole dinner stayed like that, Piper staring down at her plate, trying to get Alex to say something and Alex looking at Piper, pleading with her eyes to look at her. This dinner was the opposite of what Alex wanted to have happen, she had everything planned to a tee and it was falling apart before her eyes.

After what felt like a silent eternity, Piper grabbed both of their empty dishes and headed to the sink to let them soak. "Pipes, do you want to open gifts now?" Alex tried to hold confidence in her voice, but failed when a pleading note struck.

"I don't care." Piper shrugged her shoulders as she turned the water on to fill up the tub in the sink.

"C'mon, let's celebrate Christmas." Alex walked up behind her girlfriend as she turned the water off again, running her hands up her arms and onto her shoulders. Without saying anything, Piper wiggles her way out of Alex's embrace, turning around to look at her girlfriend.

"Why can't you just tell me what is going on with you?" Piper's eyes searched the green ones looking back at her, trying to understand the emotions they held.

"Nothing is going on, I promise you."

"No, Alex. Something is going on with you and I want to know what it is." Alex could feel the wheels turning in her head at how to get out of this situation with Piper. Finally, the brunette just realizes that there was no more waiting for her perfect moment because it was gone, deviated from the perfect plan she had.

"Okay." Alex grabbed Piper's hand pulling her along until they got to the edge of the bed, sitting Piper down before turning to look at her. "I didn't want it to happen this way." Alex muttered this under her breath, but Piper caught a glimpse of what she said, her heart beating in her chest. And in those few seconds when Alex didn't do anything but look at Piper, the blonde's world came crashing in on her. Immediately she felt her heart drop to the bottom of her stomach and her eyes hold back tears. Piper knew college was going to put a strain on the relationship but she thought they were doing good, they had an apartment and were so close to making it through the time apart.

Alex on the other hand, was running over her speech in her head, trying to make sure she had the right words ready and didn't notice the upset look on her girlfriend's face. When the brunette finally looked at Piper, she saw the tears on the edge of her eyes, threatening to fall over. "Pipes, no, no, no. That's not what I meant." Her mind going back to what it could have sounded like to the blonde.

The blonde was already too lost in her thoughts to notice Alex trying to soothe her. She wanted to know what could have caused her to feel like she wanted to leave, why she didn't want to make it through the next two years until they could be together. Alex kneeled down in front of her, grabbing her cheeks to get her to look into her eyes. Once she was sure she had the blonde's attention she scooted back slightly so she was sitting on her heels, digging in the pocket of her sweatpants.

Alex pulled the black velvet box out of her pocket, bringing it into view and Piper's eyes drifted to the object in her hand. "Piper Chapman, we met under the most unusual circumstances and we made it work. And along the way I fell in love with you and you loved me for me, not for my status, not for my name, and not for any other reason than the fact you loved me." By this time Alex was having a hard time getting the words out as she felt a lump in her throat. "And we still have a long way to go, but I want to go through it with you and nobody else. Will you marry me?" Alex almost whispered the words out as she felt like she was out of breath, trying to keep her composure, not knowing how Piper was feeling.

Piper's eyes scanned every centimeter of Alex's face, trying to wrap her head around everything and after what felt like a lifetime of not being able to breath, she could once again. The blonde reached out and caressed Alex's cheek, looking into her eyes. "Of course I will." And in that moment Alex let a large sigh out, realizing that everything had fallen into place.

Piper pulled Alex's face towards hers, kissing her with every emotion she was feeling, the love she held for her. Alex pulled back, taking the ring and sliding it on the blonde's finger, seeing how perfect it was there.

Everything melted away from them as they fell into one another again, forgetting the other gifts and the dishes to do. They were one and nothing else mattered as they cherished one another. It was slow compared to last night, drawing out every emotion possible and expressing everything they could without words until the wee hours of the morning.

When they cuddled, Alex the big spoon and Piper the little spoon, Piper stuck her hand out and looked at the ring on her finger. "Al, it's too much." The stone shone bright from the Christmas lights from around the room, making it sparkle.

"No, it's perfect for you." Alex kissed the side of Piper's neck before looking at the ring too from over Piper's shoulder. "But your other gifts suck compared to this."

A soft chuckle fell from Piper's lips as she snuggled farther back into Alex's soft and protective body. "Well, I can promise your gift also sucks." She turned her head to look Alex in the eyes before placing another soft kiss on her lips.

Alex nuzzled her face into Piper's neck, relishing the feeling of having the blonde woman in her arms again. "I still want to open it."

"You're five, I swear to god." Piper rolled over, placing her hands on Alex's shoulders and looked into her green eyes before they traveled once again to the ring on her finger.

"If I thought it was going to take all your attention away I wouldn't have gotten it." Alex said looking at Piper's smile on her face and the way the small lights around the room danced in her eyes.

"I just have to get used to it." Piper said this looking at Alex's face and the glowing look it had. "It's going to take a while to wrap my head around being The Future Mrs. Piper Vause." Alex rolled her eyes at this, but Piper knew she did that because she was just as happy about it as her. Piper leaned in and kissed her fiance before pulling back and looking into her eyes again, never getting tired of how beautiful she was.

"Merry Christmas, Pipes."


End file.
